Vendee Globe - Slow, steady progress for Mike GoldingBy Emily Caroe, ,
1:18 AM Sat 19 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, Mike Golding continues to make relatively slow, but steady progress in light to moderate NE’ly winds. Golding and his long time arch-rival, Jean Le Cam, are now on opposite tacks with the British skippering closing down miles steadily on the French sailor who is sailing gently NE, away from Rio which is just 110 miles to his NW. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Alex Thomson crosses equator, Mike Golding gainsBy Vendee Globe, ,
9:08 PM Fri 18 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) passed the last great mark of this edition, becoming the fourth skipper to cross the equator and enter into the North Atlantic in the small hours of Friday morning. Thomson crossed at 0255hrs UTC after 68 days 14 hours and 53 minutes of racing. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Go your own way + VideoBy Vendee Globe, ,
6:25 AM Fri 18 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) remained the fastest man at the front of the fleet, albeit less dramatically than on Thursday morning, as he chips away at the lead of the three in front. Only Alessandro Di Benedetto (Team Plastique), getting ready to be the last skipper round Cape Horn on Thursday night, has been quicker since the last ranking four hours ago, averaging 16.1 knots. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Virbac-Paprec 3 ready to tackle North AtlanticBy Laurent and Anne-Charlotte, ,
1:15 AM Fri 18 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, yesterday at the end of the day (French time - UT+1), Jean-Pierre Dick completed two important repair jobs on board Virbac-Paprec 3. The skipper can now confidently tackle the sail up the North Atlantic and intends to grab any opportunity to gain on the leaders. ...[more]

Vendée Globe – Hugo Boss fastest in fleet overnightBy Matthew Pryor, ,
10:09 PM Thu 17 Jan 2013
Vendée Globe 2012-13 skipper Alex Thomson, onboard Hugo Boss, was the fastest in the fleet overnight averaging 17 knots to keep his hopes of a place on the podium alive. He has been the fastest over the last 24 hours and as he leaves the coast of Brazil has power to add over the next 24 in easterly tradewinds as those in front of him struggle. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Hope and heat on the rise + VideoBy Matthew Pryor, ,
4:31 AM Thu 17 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, just 48 hours ago, Francois Gabart (Macif) was 274 miles ahead of a stalling Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) and some had begun crowning the young king. On Wednesday afternoon it is a different picture. The doldrums may have redistributed the wealth and Le Cléac’h may be able to bank some miles. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Golding climbs the South Atlantic + Royal rendezvousBy Gamesa Sailing Team, ,
12:08 AM Thu 17 Jan 2013
Fifth place on the Vendée Globe was Mike Golding’s for a fleeting moment on Tuesday when he eased Gamesa ahead of his long time arch-rival Jean Le Cam. But the British solo yachtsman ran out of breeze, hitting a buffer zone of high pressure which allowed Le Cam to snatch back fifth. On the latest poll at 1100 GMT today, Le Cam is 78 miles ahead of Golding, with 350 miles of lateral separation. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Bank of the Doldrums is open againBy Matthew Pryor, ,
10:27 PM Wed 16 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, after borrowing and lending to the fleet two months ago, the Bank of the Doldrums is open again. Francois Gabart (Macif) entered overnight and has logically been giving away miles to those behind, the next few days will show whether they will be able to bank them. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Battle continues as Gabart sets new record + VideoBy Vendee Globe,
4:25 AM Wed 16 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, the forecast for the finish keeps changing with the evolution of the Azores High ahead of the leaders, but one thing seems certain, barring multiple failures in all of the first four boats, the record will be broken. On Monday it looked like a January 26 and a 77-day finish, on Tuesday the long range forecast and routing suggested it might be January 27 or 28. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Tough, long night for GoldingBy Emily Caroe, ,
2:11 AM Wed 16 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, after a tough, long night with a couple of gybes which had him going the way he did not want to go, Mike Golding is credited with moving up to fifth place, ahead of his rival Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) for the first time in just over one month. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - It was not a euphemism + VideoBy Vendee Globe, ,
6:02 AM Tue 15 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, Mike Golding (Gamesa) is just 21 miles behind Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) and on Vendée Globe TV yesterday speculated that Le Cam may be missing a sail. It was not a euphemism – he was not suggesting Le Cam is one sail short of a wardrobe – but questioning why the formidable French sailor was almost four knots slower than Golding overnight and this morning. ...[more]

Vendée Globe - Golding catching up to Le Cam + InterviewBy Sara Blackwell,
10:27 PM Mon 14 Jan 2013
Vendée Globe 2012-13 skipper Mike Golding has caught to within 47 miles of his long time rival Jean Le Cam this morning and is still going very slightly quicker than the French skipper of SynerCiel. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Fatigue taking a toll on mind, body and soul + VideoBy Vendee Globe, ,
4:52 AM Mon 14 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, following nine weeks at sea, alone, the fatigue of the race is begin to toll on the mind, body and soul of the skippers. The tiredness can be heard in their voices. The bodies are beginning to fail. Arnaud Bossières (Akena Verandas) is suffering from salt blisters all over his hands and is in a lot of pain. ...[more]

Vendee Globe Race – Golding’s Gamesa closing in on Le Cam’s SynerCielBy Emily Caroe, St Helene ,
8:50 PM Sun 13 Jan 2013
Gamesa skipper Mike Golding is currently 86 miles behind Jean Le Cam of SynerCiel and remains hopeful that he can still land a spot on the podium in the Vendee Globe race 2012-2013. Continued good progress and still making miles on Jean Le Cam, his main adversary, who this morning is 86 miles ahead, Mike Golding has emerged from a busy night of sail changes and manoeuvres. ...[more]

Vendee Globe – Macif’s Gabart makes furious push towards finishBy Vendee Globe, St Helene ,
7:33 PM Sun 13 Jan 2013
The Vendee Globe race has reached its ninth Sunday since the round-the-world journey for these sailors began way back in November 2012. Macif’s Francois Gabart continued to pad his lead heading into final stretches of the race, leading Banque Populaire’s skipper Armel Le Cleac’h by 252.2 miles and Virbac Paprec 3 skipper Jean Pierre Dick by 605.1 miles. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Of jury decisions and ice cream cravings + VideoBy Vendee Globe, ,
4:38 AM Sun 13 Jan 2013
In this morning’s Vendee Globe report, we indicated that Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud) appeared to be sailing an unorthodox route. This afternoon, we received this update from his team. 'I was on the phone with Michèle (the wife of Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud), there was a 40-knot wind and suddenly, the autopilot alarm went off! It was brutal, the yacht tacked suddenly and it tilted at 90 degrees. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Golding recharges his batteriesBy Emily Caroe, ,
1:20 AM Sun 13 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, a good, disciplined set of naps last night have made a lot of difference for Mike Golding who confirmed this morning that he had been running very low on energy since his Cape Horn rounding. 'I’ve caught up now. Now I am just plain knackered!' Golding joked on his morning call to his team in Southampton, England. ...[more]

Vendee Globe - Lead extended in Atlantic battle + VideoBy Vendee Globe, ,
5:37 AM Sat 12 Jan 2013
In the Vendee Globe, around 900 miles away from the duelling duos at the front of the fleet - Friday night in Rio De Janeiro breathes party, fiesta, mojitos and caipirinha. But on the ocean a ferociously intense battle has begun, with skippers electing tactical choices, which vie for bold strategic positions. ...[more]